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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. rule — a law
  3. drill — a practice
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. pit — in a race
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. pit — a hole
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. drill — army training
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. dip — to sink
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. drill — the tool
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. scale — size or range
  23. rule — government
  24. plane — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com